Kate says: I chose to focus on cosmopolitan Barcelona, but Adeet and I enjoyed the several days we spent with a friend in Granada. The city is rich in history and its masterpiece, the Alhambra, is an architectural marvel. And in Granada Adeet ate his weight in jamón serrano, the dry-cured ham that is a culinary marvel!

We had only one night in Barcelona and stayed at Barcino 147 Bed and Breakfast. Our room was clean and cozy and we had the run of the kitchen for breakfast. The B&B’s central location was ideal since we didn’t have a lot of time to sightsee. Our first stop was Antoni Gaudi’s cathedral-in-progress, La Sagrada Familia. Ascending to the top of the towers in a tiny lift is not for the claustrophobic, but the payoff is spectacular, close-up views of Gaudi’s incredible masterwork. (Sadly, we lost almost all of our photos from our day in Barcelona.) We later enjoyed more of Gaudi’s work and great views of the city in Güell Park, a World Heritage site. Later in the day we walked to the area of the 1992 summer Olympics. Although the Olympic architecture can’t rival Gaudi’s, it is interesting and the waterfront view is beautiful.